Bead-covering machine



Aug. 7, 1928. L68Q91 C. H. DESAUTELS BEAD COVERING MACHINE Filed June 5,1925 I N VEN TOR.

Ma a MZWM Patented Aug. 7, 1928 CHARLES H. DESAUTELS, OF SPRINGFIELD,MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE FISK RUBBER COMPANY, OF CHICOPEE FALLS,MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

BEAD-COVERING MACHINE.

Application filed June 5, 1925. Serial No. 35,047.

This invention relates to machines for covering endless coils orgrommets of wire, such as are used in the manufacture of straight sidetires, with astrip of'adhesive fabric. More specifically the inventionis an improvement on that described in my copending application SerialNo. 686,440, filed Jan. 15, 1924, in increasing the tension which can beexerted upon the wire without danger of breakage.

It was found that when normal air pressure was applied to the pneumaticcylinders, which in the prior machine forced the wire supporting rollersapart to stretch the wire, an insufficient force would be exerted tostraighten out and equalize bead wire'rings having a relatively largenumber, seven for example, of convolutions. If the air pressure wasincreased, or if the area. of the pneumatic cylinder were made larger toincrease the force exerted by the same air pressure, it was found thatthe pressure would be so suddenly applied that the wires would break,due to the entire strain being exerted on one coil before equalizationof the several coils had time to take place. It is the object of thepresent invention to avoid this difficulty, and to enable a high enoughpressure to be used to straighten out the several coils without such asudden application as to break the wire.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of amachine constructed according to my prlorapplication Serial No. 686,440, modified according to the presentinvention, with certain parts of the old machine removed'for clearness;and

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

The bead wire a to be covered is looped about two pulleys-1Q and 11, theformer being fixed for rotation in the frame 12 of the machine and thelatter being rotatable on a carrier 13 slidable on guide rods 14. Thefolding mechanism, illustrated generally by 15, may be similar to thatdescribed in my prior application above referredto and need not beconsidered here in detail. I A piston rod 16', attached to the carrier13 at one end. carries at its other end a piston (not shown) working ina pneumatic cylinder 17 This cylinder is preferably made larger than thecorresponding cylinder of the prior machine, or in the alternative theair pressure is raised, so as to increase the force with which thepulleys are separated. The carrier is urged in a direction towards thefixed pulley 10 by a weight (not shown) supported by a cord 18, as inthe prior machine, and is forced in the opposite direction by the actionof the pneumatic cylinder.

Attached to the frame of the machine is a cylinder 19, having slots 20in its sides. Through these 4 slots pass pins 21 which connect anexternal member 22 with a piston rod 23 carrying a piston 24 working inthe cylinder. The end of the cylinder is provided with a small vent 25and with a check valve 26 which will allow air to enter the cylinderbutnot to leave it. Member 22 is secured to a threaded rod 27 which by nuts28 is fastened adjustably to a bracket 29 on the carrier 13. The rodis'adjusted so that the piston has nearly reached the end of its strokewhen the pulleys are the desired distance apart, the exact adjustmentdepending upon the amount of dampingof the pulley separating force whichis desired.

If compressedair is admitted to the cylinder 17 the carrier 13 will bedriven rapidly toward the left in the drawings, gathering momentum as'it travels. The momentum of the carrier and pulley, coupled with thedriving power of high pressure air,is what caused breakage of the wiresin the machine as originally constructed and when used with an'excessiveair pressure. In the present machine, however, the piston 24 inapproaching the end of the cylinder compresses the air ahead of it, thevent 25 being insufficient in size to let all the air out at the highspeed at which the piston is moving. The compression of the air absorbsthe excessive momentum of the carrier as the latter nears the end of itsmovement, and when the nuts 28 are properly adjusted the pulley 11 willseem to settle easily into the coil of wire without jerking. The vent 25is constantly open, however, and the air compressed in cylinder 19 leaksout, permit-ting the full power of cylinder 17 to be exerted on the wirelooped around the two pulleys. It has been found in the practical use ofthis invention that even when two rings of seven strands each are placedaround the pulleys they will be tightened and equalized without dangerof being broken by the sudden application of the equalizing force. Thecheck valve 26 permits the carrier 13 to move in the reverse directionwithout interference from the cylinder 19.

Preferably a lost motion connection is made between the piston 24; and'the carrier 13 so as to permit minor movements of the carrier withoutmovement of the piston. During the operation of the device the car rierwill respond to minor irregularities and self-adjustments of the wirerings a, and it is desirable to have a quick and undamped reaction tothese. conditions so that the tension on .the wire. will never berelaxed. In the present case the lost motion connection is establishedby a sleeve 30 interposed between the nuts 28 and passing freely througha hole in bracket 29.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A head wire covering machine in which the Wire is looped aroundseparable pulleys, comprising means to force the pulleys apart and meanscoupled thereto by a lost motion connection for damping excessive speedof separation without materially decreasing the ultimate force ofseparation.

2. A bead wire coverin machine in which the wire is looped aroundseparable pulleys, comprising pneumatically operated means to force thepulleys apart, and an air compressing cylinder provided with a smallvent and operatively connected to the said pneumatically operated meansthrough a lost motion connection to damp excessive speed of theseparating means Without materially interfering with the ultimateexertion of the full force of said pneumatically operated means or withminor fluctuations of the pulleys.

CHARLES H. DESAUTELS.

